


Watching His Back

by irena_adler



Series: Watson [19]
Category: Numb3rs
Genre: Feds lusting after Feds, Gen, Gun Violence, Kidnapping, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 21:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11929389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irena_adler/pseuds/irena_adler
Summary: Will helps Don rescue Colby and Charlie.Takes place during It Changes Everything, pt 5.





	Watching His Back

**Title:**   Watching His Back **  
**Characters: Will, Don **  
**Rating: FRT, PG **  
**Summary:  Will helps Don rescue Colby and Charlie.  
****Disclaimer:**** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ** **  
**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! **  
A/N:**   Sequel to [First Sight](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/49460.html).  (Takes place during [It Changes Everything, Part 5](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/9750.html).) Thanks to my beta.

 

****

****Watching His Back—** **

It was only luck that Don Eppes was in the area when the van that had kidnapped his agent and his brother was spotted.Will Stevens was also in the area, but that was because he’d been following Don.Sure, Will had been keeping an eye out for that white van, but he was also keeping an eye on Don.He didn’t want the FBI agent to do anything stupid before Will even had a chance to get to know him.

Will’s radio buzzed.“Suspect van has been seen near the entrance to Angeles National Forest, right off of Little Tujunga Canyon Road.License plate confirmed.GPS coordinates—”

Will missed the coordinates because he was busy watching Don hang a U-turn in the middle of the street, driving over the concrete median in the way.Don’s SUV started a belated siren as it screeched to straighten out and head in the other direction.Will’s SUV wasn’t equipped with a siren, but he aimed it at the median and vaulted over in Don’s wake, following the path Don had blazed through panicked vehicles.

Will hung tight on Don’s bumper as Don shot through the city streets.He bet that Don didn’t notice anyone tailing him, a sure sign of distraction.Will had no doubt that Don was normally observant and otherwise good at his job.This brother of his was obviously extremely important to him.Or could it be the other agent?Will had a moment of completely irrational jealousy towards a man he had no reason to believe was more to Don than a co-worker.

_Angeles National Forest,_ Will thought, summoning up what he knew of the area.He’d been hiking there many times, but usually farther into the mountains.Where the van had been spotted had to be just out of Lake View Terrace, or no one would have ever seen it.He reviewed in his mind the video that the kidnappers had sent, ignoring the horrific image of Charles Eppes getting shot.Yeah, that terrain could easily be right.He should have thought of it earlier.It was such an odd location, though, a wooded clearing with nothing but a grate that led down into some sort of underground storage.At least, he hoped it was storage and Charlie and Colby hadn’t just gotten dumped into the sewer.

Will chewed on his lip and concentrated on keeping up with Don, who was going faster than Will ever thought would be possible on the 210 Freeway, especially at six o’clock at night.

Don shot off the Foothill Boulevard exit, and almost didn’t make the sharp right turn onto the road.His car had barely recovered from that in time to make a left onto the street that would turn into Little Tujunga Canyon Road.As soon as Don hit this street, he switched off his siren.They must be getting close.

A little way up the road, Don pulled into a dirt-packed area, quickly filling up with law enforcement and emergency personnel of all types.Don leapt out of his SUV and immediately took control of the chaos.Will could only follow him and watch in admiration.

The CHP officer who’d spotted the van gave her report.The van was pulled into the parking lot of an old gas station about a quarter of a mile up the road.She’d also seen an open field with a metal grate in the middle.That made sense because gas stations often used a sort of underground concrete vault to store hazardous chemicals.Will just hoped that none of those chemicals had been there when Charlie and Colby had gotten dropped in.

Don quickly laid out an approach pattern and Will got himself assigned to the group that was going with Don around the back of the gas station.The plan was to secure the vault first, preferably without the kidnappers in the station noticing, then take out the station.

Will was distracted for a moment by the sight of Don putting on tactical gear and thigh holsters. _Oh God, that man is just Sex.Please, please, let him be gay …_ Then Will realized what he was looking at. _Damn it._ Don was only wearing a light duty assault vest and no helmet or other protective gear.That vest wouldn’t stop a single bullet from the FN P90 submachine guns that the kidnappers were carrying in the video.Will got into his trunk and pulled out his heavy-duty body armor, which covered him from neck to groin.It wouldn’t stop a bullet from a P90 but it would slow it down a hell of lot more.Then … _damn it, damn it, damn it!_ Will shoved the heavy armor back in and grabbed his own light-weight assault vest.There was no way he’d keep up with Don wearing the heavy stuff.He cinched a helmet on, sent a brief prayer to his ancestors – some of which he was sure had been as stupid as he was about to be – and strapped on his Five-seveN.At least if the bad guys were wearing vests, his gun would be able to penetrate their armor.

After Don slid a Glock into each thigh holster, he pulled an M4A1 out of his trunk and slung it over his back.The small rescue team gathered around him.One man had a rope draped over his shoulder.That man and the two others were wearing heavy assault protective gear.One man carried an M4 like Don.The others glanced at Don and Will’s light vests but didn’t say anything.Don looked at them all and nodded.Will didn’t think that Don actually saw any of them, just registered their readiness, then turned towards the road.

Their team of five trotted in silence up the road, sticking to the road until they could see the driveway of an old gas station.They turned and made their way through the woods around the gas station, moving as quietly as possible with their gear.

There was enough moonlight to see the grassy field on the far side of the gas station.Set into the ground in the middle of the field was a metal grate.The same grate had been featured in the video sent by the kidnappers.Unless they were dead already, Charlie and Colby were underneath that grate.

Will could see Don literally vibrating with tension, wanting to dash out into the field.They waited for the signal from the old gas station.

A man wearing a vest and sporting a P90 casually walked out of the gas station.Will recognized by his pants that he had been in the kidnappers’ video.The man headed towards the grate.Don checked his watch and swore.The kidnappers’ deadline was in a few minutes and the man must be getting impatient.He strolled towards the grate with a slow but purposeful walk.He moved his P90 into firing position.

Don’s cheek jumped as he gritted his teeth, staring at the man as if he could slow him by sheer willpower.The man was within range, but they couldn’t take him out, not until the gas station raid had started.Doing so now would endanger everyone assaulting the gas station.Will could almost hear the debate raging in Don, as he weighed the hazards of taking action against the hazards of taking none.

The sounds of gunshots from the gas station were a welcome release.Shouts of the raid filled the quiet night and gunfire hammered inside the station.

Just then, the kidnapper in the field started shooting down into the grate.He was barely within the range of the M4 but Don aimed and fired.The gun spat twice then jammed.

Don gave an incoherent snarl of fear and rage, threw the M4 aside and yanked out one of his Glocks.The pistol had less than a third of the range of the rifle and Will was turning towards the other man who had an M4, when Don took off across the grass.He lowered his gun and just sprinted.A beat of surprise then Will took off after him, along with the other three in their team.The others were hampered by their armor and fell behind but Will was soon on Don’s heels.

The man had stopped firing and was calling down into the grate.He cocked his head, as if trying to hear a response over the noise.His face twisted and he said something else then returned to shooting downwards, not even glancing up at the agents racing across the field, still too far out of range.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Don screamed.

Will wanted to scream the same, get Don to move out of the way so someone else could shoot, but he’d used up all his breath catching up to Don.

The kidnapper continued to shoot down into the grate but he finally looked up toward Don.As if it was in slow motion, Will saw the kidnapper start to raise his P90, still shooting.The bullets chewed through the grass toward them and would soon chew through Don.Will threw himself to the side, trying to get a clear line of fire.Don raised his gun and, just before the bullets reached him, pumped three bullets into the chest of the kidnapper.The man was wearing a vest, but the impact of the bullets knocked him back and the gunshots went wide.That was enough.Will’s bullets slammed into the kidnapper’s shooting arm, sending his gun flying, and more bullets from the team members behind them split open the kidnapper’s head.

Not even stopping his forward momentum, Don dropped his gun and sprinted to the grate.

“Colby?Charlie?” Don yelled.

There was no answer and Don grabbed the grate and started to tug.Two other team members reached the grate and helped him drag it aside.Will scrambled up from the grass and checked that the kidnapper was dead.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Don snapped, waving for the team member with the rope to hurry up.Others shone flashlights down into the vault.Will looked down into the hole but couldn’t see either survivors or dead bodies.

The man who had the rope threw one end towards Don and tied the other around his waist.The two other team members braced him and Don took hold of the rope.Will grabbed a flashlight and shone it down to light Don’s landing.

Don slithered down the rope and quietly called Colby’s name.There was a grunt in response and Will directed the flashlight in that direction.He saw the back of a large man in one corner.As he watched, the man moved back and released a smaller man whom he’d been shielding.

“Don!” the smaller man cried and Don gasped and fell to his knees.

“Charlie!” Don groaned and gathered his brother into a fierce hug.Charlie held on to Don and sobbed.Tears streaked down Don’s face as he held Charlie close and rocked him.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Don said, his voice shaking.“It’s okay.”

Watching Don comfort his brother, the lust and appreciation that Will had been feeling since he’d first seen Don exploded into full-blown passion.Sparks danced before his eyes.

Shocked by the intensity of the feeling, Will backed away from the hole.His hands were trembling and his heart pounding.He set his flashlight down then said, “They’re okay,” to the officers holding the rope.He turned to see more rescuers making their way across the field.

By the time that Charlie Eppes was pulled out of the hole, a makeshift bandage around his leg, Will had faded into the crowd of emergency personnel.By the time that Colby Granger was pulled out, the back of his shirt shredded, Will was back by the gas station.By the time that Don was pulled out of the hole, Will was running down the road toward where he’d left his car.His feet pounded against the concrete, his breath rattled short and sharp in his lungs, sweat poured down his face, and he fled as if all the Hounds of Hell were chasing him.

****


End file.
